Zip Zip Zip…almost time for football

Taking a cue from Zombie Nation, and NittanyWhiteout it’s time to get ready and look at the Week 1 Opponent the Akron Zips. Akron doesn’t usually do well in Happy Valley, but they’ve got a talented team, and skilled players. So if the team has to get ready to take them seriously then I guess we in the blogging world do to. It seems like it’s the 300th time I’ve looked up the spelling of his name but hopefully I wont have to many more times..Chris Jacquemain is really the Lions main threat, he passed for 2,748 yards last season. The Zips bring in a senior team that has played in Beaver Stadium before, so that more or less gets rid of the awe factor. Even so, going into this weeks game there are 3 important things to watch for that make this game much more important than you might realize.

1. How does the secondary look?

It might seem strange but the Zips could put in a good fight for the first quarter. It’s safe to say they wont be running the ball well against our front seven, but they’ll definitely be passing the ball. This should be a good test for the young crew, and even though the Lions should come out on top it’ll be a good way to gauge how far the team has to go before the big dogs come to town.

2. How are the new receivers doing?

Everybody and their mother has been talking about the loss of three of the best wideouts in school history, but the crew that comes back this year is just as balanced in skill sets. Brett Bracket with more size than we’ve seen in a long time, and Chaz Powell with speed, Zug with the hands, all in all the group should be solid. What to look for here is more in regards to timing with Clark. If they’re clicking well this game could be a good time to work on in game timing and getting a better feel for handling a larger role. All of these players have played games here in Happy Valley, now it’s their turn to run the show. I expect this group to play as well if not better than the last three. I know that is bold, but I think they can do it. This game is a good starting point.

3. Do the backups look ok?

It sucks, but somebody at some point is going to get hurt, and somebody is going to step in. A lot of really important time and work can be put in by these backups like Kevin Newsome when the game is well in hand. It’ll be important for them to put a few good drives together to gain some confidence. Not to look too far ahead but we’ve got a game at Alabama next year that could look rather ugly if our younger guys don’t step up. I’m sure they’ll be ready, but the time put in this season by guys like Newsome will pay dividends down the road, this season as well as next.